


Ansible

by newtype



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Canon Gay Character, Galaxy Garrison, Illustrated, M/M, Older Keith, One Shot, SHEITH - Freeform, Time Skips, garrison keith, older shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-22 00:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14297142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newtype/pseuds/newtype
Summary: After the war, Keith leaves Shiro with one final gift. On a mission to restore Kerberos to a medical center, Shiro is sent as an envoy while Keith stays on Earth. For Shiro, it's far too easy to drift off without his source of gravity.





	Ansible

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the "Between Two Points" illustrated Sheith fanfiction zine.
> 
> https://twitter.com/BetweenTwoPoint
> 
> Illustrations by law (@d4imeiwaku on twitter)

  _“What is this?” Shiro asked. The device was strangely heavier than it seemed._

 _“It’s the prototype currently in development by the Garrison,”_ Keith answered. _“For long-distance communications between colonies. Personal-use only.”_

_“So, you’re giving it to me? Did you even get the clearance?”_

_“Consider it...a gift,” Keith hesitated. “The more Galra colonies we liberate, the more people are going to want to talk to those on different planets. The Ansible prototype is the closest thing we have to bridging that gap without clogging the military communication lines.”_

_“Sounds like you’ve been hanging out with Pidge,” Shiro laughed._ While the other Paladins parted ways after Voltron, Keith and Pidge were surprisingly the most eager to return to Earth.

_“You’re going to use it, right?” Keith insisted. “I have to warn you. This tech isn’t meant to last forever. I hope you make the best use of it.”_

_“Of course.”_ Back on Kerberos, this Ansible would be all Shiro had. _“If I ever figure out how the damn thing works.”_

* * *

 The solution for painfully silent Kerberos nights was Keith’s voice. Without nearby moons of its own and his curtains closed, Shiro welcomed the isolation.

Shiro never thought he’d be back, but after Voltron’s annihilation of Zarkon’s army, the former prison had been converted to a reputable interstellar medical clinic. Despite being a decorated pilot and the paladin of the black lion, this was where Shiro felt safest. Alone.

At his desk, he fumbled for the small hologram-projecting Ansible Keith gave him. A cold sweat broke his concentration. Shiro startled at the Ansible’s screen lighting up, revealing to him his own reflection, holographic glow casting pale against his exhausted face.

Two weeks on Kerberos was twelve months on Earth. Whether Shiro wanted to accept it or not, this was the math. Keith refused to enroll in the new Kerberos program, instead choosing to accept his position as alien intelligence office at the Garrison. A year – an entire year had passed, with nothing to show for it besides the mysterious device now left in Shiro’s possession.

> _illustration by law_

 

 _He’s a man now,_ Shiro realized, _Keith could have a family, he could anywhere, he could’ve forgotten all about this._

Long after the Galran war, time kept working against Shiro at every turn.

As unfair as it was, Shiro of all people couldn’t deny how much of a difference one year makes. Denial, he learned, hurt most eating you from the inside out.

The Ansible's screen flickered for a second, before transitioning to a list of contacts. The only registered name was a plain _Kogane._

Shiro tapped the screen, selecting Keith from the registry, and waited for the video message to boot. At the corner of the screen, Shiro noticed Keith’s sole message had been recorded only a day before his original departure.

What might feel like days could easily turn into months, years back home. An entire lifetime.

 _Too far gone now,_ Shiro worried. _He might think I’ll never reply._

The camera locks into place as Keith carefully distances himself into the shot. He’s wearing his new Garrison officer uniform. Shiro feels his own ears burn at the sight, but he can’t tell if it’s because of pride or residual guilt. Like a burn aching long after healing.

A badge indicating Keith’s new rank flashes across the camera. Nothing could prepare him for seeing Keith fill-out the Garrison officer suit he once wore as a student. Right away, Shiro recognizes the desert landscape as Keith’s private shack, miles away from any Garrison base. For all intents and purposes, this was a private film, recorded for Shiro’s eyes only.

 _“I hope you get to open this soon. They just promoted me, Shiro. I know you never liked the bureaucracy bullshit, but…I know this will help while you’re gone.”_ Keith swallowed, breaking character to idly twist a strand of black hair. Shiro wonders if he imagined a blush, or if it was only artifacts interfering with the video’s decaying quality.

Somehow Keith seemed more grounded, yet the passionate young man he'd been in his red paladin armor still beckoned Shiro. Calling the swelling in Shiro’s chest _love_ felt too contentious. It took everything not to beat himself up, to deafen mixed signals overwhelming his body and mind.

_“Time passes quicker here than it does on Kerberos. I really do miss you. It’s weird recording this since you’re still here, on earth. But you’re going to be gone for a long time, Shiro. Please answer me when you can. I’ll be waiting.”_

The clip ended with Keith's voice distorting into static. The hardware clearly wasn’t going to last forever.

Shiro figures this must be it. That’s all Keith needed.

It hardly took any inspiration for Shiro to replay the message over and over, until he finally forfeited his fight against sleep. All the while, the Ansible patiently waited in the dark, breaking the silence to play the remainder of Keith's message.

 _Take care of yourself. I love you, Shiro. Good night._ Keith takes a deep breath. _I mean that._

* * *

 

 

If Shiro didn’t force himself, he would’ve mulled over his response for another month. For Keith, the difference would be even more severe. A year? Two years?

A tragedy takes two.

The Ansible fit in his hand, lighting up the room in anticipation for Shiro’s first documented words. A message sent across time and space – the magnitude felt unnerving for what was ultimately transient technology.

 _Keith,_ Shiro said, _you’ve grown so much. I’m so, so proud of you._

Staring into the Ansible, he realized the video feedback flickered. At best, only audio would survive the trip back to Earth, a rough artifact of Shiro’s existence on the moon colony. Those three words threatened to catastrophically launch themselves from his chest. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. If Keith was right, the Ansible might not survive another voyage.

His last message to the boy he spent every night thinking of.

_If you receive this, I’m thinking about you. I’ll be waiting. For as long as it takes._

**Author's Note:**

> Please consider checking out the complete zine for everyone's pieces! This was a wonderful project to be apart of. I wrote this before season 3/4 aired so the "as many times as it takes" line really hit home for me haha
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/watsnewbussycat)


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